Improvement in music-holders



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFILCE.

BENJAMIN M. AYRES, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSIC-HOLDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,608, dated April 22, 1879; application filed September 23, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN M. AYRES, of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Music-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a neat and adjustable device, conveniently attached and secured to any ordinary musicrack, to hold book and sheet music in any position desired by the player, and which will allow of a greater range of adjustment than devices heretofore made for holding sheetmusic. 7

The invention consists in the combination of stationary guide-blo cks provided with threaded shanks and nuts, to secure them to a musicrack; a plate or bar fitted to slide upon the said guide-blocks, and provided on its upper side with a guide groove or way, and a bracket sliding in the said guide-groove; and carrying a pivoted spring-clasp, which latter clamps and retains the paper against the surface of the said sliding bar or plate.

It also consists in the construction and combination of the various parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lrepresents a face view of my improved musicholder. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the under side of the sliding plate or bar.. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectibve cross-sections on the lines 00 m and 3/ y of Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A are the guide-blocks, provided with threaded shanks a and thumb-nuts a, to adapt them for being permanently. secured to a music-rack by inserting the shank a from the front side through any suitable hole or opening of the filagree-work in the said rack, and tightening the nut a on the shank against the back of the rack.

The blocks A are grooved horizontally across their faces from one to the other of two opposite edges, the said grooves being of suitable shape to receive and fit a tongue, I), having parallel ribs b on its opposite edges, and formed along the wider side of the sliding plate or bar B, so that the said plate B may he slid and guided laterally in the groove of the block A, but prevented from being moved or removed in any other direction.

The sliding plate B is also provided with longitudinal parallel side flanges, b embracing and concealing those two opposite edges of the guide-block A which are parallel with the guide-groove of the latter. Centrally along the face of the slideB is cut a dovetail-groove, 0, for retaining and guiding the sliding bracket C, which has a rib, c ,-on its under side fitting -in the groove 0.

D is the clasp, being a curved or semicircular ornamented plate, of about the same width as the plate B, and provided with lugs d at the side edges of its rear end, through which it is hinged or pivoted by a pin, E, to a lug, 0 on the sliding bracket C (which lug c fits in the opening between the lugs d) in a position to bring only the forward edge, d, of the clasp D in clamping contact with the leaf or sheet, the pressure upon the latter being effected by a spiral spring, 6, inserted in the lug 0 around the hin ge-pin E, and fastened with its ends to the lugs c and d, respectively. Directly above the hinge the bracket C is provided with a cross-yoke, F, whose ends f form a stop at each end of the hinge, with which stop the spring-pressed clasping-plate D comes in contact, and is checked in such a position that the clamping edge dis always out of contact with the surface of the place B, and yet near enough to it to clamp a sheet of paper. By this construction the edge at of the clasp D is kept from defacing the plated or polished surface of the slide B by the snapping force of the spring 0. The clasp D is provided with a handle Gr, bydepressin g which it may be raised from the leaf. A handle, H, should be affixed to the bracket C underneath the handle G, so that the two handles H G may be grasped and pressed between the thumb and forefinger to facilitate the raising of the clasp D. To prevent theslide B and bracket C from being accidentally moved out of their Ways, the grooves or ways of the slide B are permanently closed at one end but to allow of their removal, when desired to reverse the clasp from right to left, or vice versa, or for other purposes, the other end of the slide B is provided with a movable stop-plate, I, having projections t", which fit tightly in the end of the groove 0 and in the two grooves formed one on each side of the tongue I), by the flanges b I am aware that a spring-pressed clasp pivoted to a sliding piece is not new, but has been used for various purposes, and also been applied to music-racks. In a modified form the clasp D has been used pivoted to a block slidin g in a slot cut through a music-rack, the said block being flanged on its upper side, and provided underneath with a flat slotted spring, which may be tightened to clamp the rack by a set-screw going through the block and swiveled in the slot of the said spring, as shownin Patent No. 201,314, dated March 12,1878; but that construction requires the music-rack to be specially made for the clasp, and does not allow of reversing the latter, nor does it give such wide range of adjustment as is accomplished by arranging the clasp D to slide in a groove upon the plate B laterally adjustable by the ways in stationary guide-blocks A.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of the stationary guideblocks A, the sliding bar B, and the springclasp D, attached to the sliding bracket 0, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The stationary grooved guide-blocks A, provided with the threaded shanks a and thumb-nuts a, incombination with the ton gued and flanged sliding plate B, grooved on its upper side, and with the clasp D, attached to the sliding bracket 0, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The stop-plate I, constructed as described, in combination with the open end of the grooved plate B, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The pivoted spring-pressed clasp D, in combination with the sliding bracket 0, provided with the stops f, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

BENJAMIN M. AYRES.

I Witnesses:

A. W. ALM VIsT, (J. SEDGWIOK. 

